“Yeah, that was fun. With you driving, I don’t feel unsafe, so it was just…fun.”

“Shit, that was not what I was expecting. Can I go more? Not that fast, of course, but get back to the garage?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Go.”

I did, weaving around the crew’s cars and drifting corners until we were at the garage.

By the time I parked, she looked terrified again. I wasn’t surprised, but I thought she would have grown a little used to it by the second round. Maybe it was something that she would never get used to. 

Which would make sense, since she may never be in my car to do it again.

I pulled off my harness, and she still hadn’t moved. The rest of the crew was already parked and heading around back.

“Daze?” I asked for what felt like the hundredth time. When she didn’t respond, I could only huff and lean over, unclipping her harness and trying to pull it off. When she stayed frozen, I leaned in more, pulling it over her.

She turned, her face only an inch from mine now.

I sucked in a breath, not knowing what to do. I could smell her body wash again, feel her breath on my face and the heat rolling off of her. All it was making me want to do was lean in.

I didn’t have to, though, because she did.

I froze as her lips pressed against mine. The soft kiss made every part of me burn, the heat moving through my veins and giving me that same high that it had before.

She hesitated for a second but didn’t stop. Her tongue moved along my lips, and I parted them more. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to kiss, I had some experience, but every intimate interaction was tangled in the blinding hate for people touching me, so I wasn’t sure how to go about it when I liked it. I thought it would be that way with her again, but just like each time before, my body was in peaceful bliss.

I almost hated it more than the pain.

How could I suddenly like being touched? And was it just her or was I cured of this suddenly?

I pulled back, my eyes wide as the panic set in. “Do you want me to take you home?”

“What? No? You think I kiss you and that means I want to leave?” she asked, almost laughing.

“I don’t really know what it means. A bit ago you said you were scared of me, then you’re asking me to speed, then this.”

Her hand came up, and I winced, trying to hide it as her fingers settled on my jaw and ran along it.

“Do you want me to leave?” she asked quietly.

I didn’t say anything. My mind focused on her fingers moving down my face and then my neck until it finally fell away.

“No. No, I’m fine. Come on,” I said through gritted teeth, already kicking the door open and taking a deep breath of cool fall air. The sun was setting now, the chill that came in at night already here, and it cooled my body that was on fire.

I had grown used to a few people over the years, like the crew, but it took time. Even Carly had been here two years and it wasn’t until recently that I really settled into touching her here and there. I still avoided everyone whenever I could, but I knew it was inevitable with certain things.

This, though, it didn’t feel real. My body somehow calmed and burned anytime Daisy touched me, and I could already feel the nagging in the pit of my stomach that I wanted to try it again.

I wanted her to kiss me again, but there was no way I could ask.

She had got out and walked around to me, the smile on her face making me want to smile back, but I forced myself not to.

“Wow,” she said. “That was like a pure shot of adrenaline, but in a good way.”

“One of the best highs you can get,” I said, wishing my brain didn’t want to add kissing her on that list.

“Are your friends going to be dicks to me?”

“If you’re asking if they are going to throw you in front of a car or something, no, they are cool. They will be dicks to me, though.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m showing up with you.”

We were walking around the back of the shop when she stopped dead in her tracks.

“What? Why? Do they know we are just fake dating?”

“Yeah, they already know the main points of what’s going on and why. At least, why for me, not for you.”

Her chest rose and fell, the panic in her eyes clear.

“Calm down,” I said, stepping a little closer. “Nothing bad is going to happen.”

“What if they are all just hitting on me all night? What if they grab at me? Are you going to care to stop them? What if they say nasty things to me? And do you really think telling me to calm down works?”

“What the fuck?” I asked. “Who the fuck have you been hanging out with all the time? You think they are going to grab you?”

“I’m nervous! Dean’s friends were assholes to me, and I just had to sit there and take it. He thought it was funny and would go along with it. I don’t know what to expect. Based on you, your friends will be even more scary than his.”

“I can guarantee that none of that will happen. I would give my damn car with that guarantee. Not only would I fight any of my friends that treated you anything like that, none of them would. Unfortunately for them, they seem to all have a thing for strong, demanding, stubborn women. Don’t be fooled by any single one of us or our looks. We would lay down and let any one of you run us over before we thought we were in charge or hurt you.” I laughed harder. “Some of these guys might let their girls do it for less. I don’t know much about Dean, but I promise none of the guys think they could get away with any of that shit, and they don’t want to.”

“You’re serious?”

“About as serious you can be about getting run over,” I said. “You can run the world here, Daze, and no one is going to make you feel less than that.”

She finally got quiet, but I knew it wouldn’t last long.

I went around the fire, introducing her to everyone. I figured she already knew Ransom, Fox, Jax, and Scout from high school, but I still named them off, explaining that Ransom was with Quinn, Fox was dating Ash, Jax was with Carly, and Scout was now dating Chase.

“So, you all work together?”

They looked around at each other, but Quinn spoke up.

“Yes, in a very messy way. We all work at the garage in some capacity, but Ash’s dad has a big racing empire that we all do things at, too. Ash, Scout, Fox and hopefully Kye all race with him. Carly is an amazing chef and not only feeds us all, but runs her social media cooking business stuff. Ransom and I run and organize most of the garage stuff now, since everyone else is so busy. Has Kye told you about his racing?”

Daisy looked at me, and then back at Quinn. “A little, but nothing more than wanting to race with Holt. I mean, we met with him, but they didn’t talk about the racing part much, just the Kye messing up part.”

“Quinn, can we not?” I asked, not needing Daisy to know more about me, and already knowing what Quinn was going to say. I guess I should have thought more about that when I brought her here, though.